Free speech vs good manners, which should win? I personally come down on the side of manners with my friends, and free speech with the world. There are exceptions to this, but they are few, and far between. I will also have to admit they are rarely based on logic, or even casual thought. They are almost always an emotional response.

I suspect most people will come down with a emotional response regarding this fellow.

However, every once in awhile an individual comes along that is so vile and contemptible, we find ourselves longing for his or her misfortune. Indeed, we may hate these individuals! Yet, in spite of this hate, our love for libertarian justice has to outweigh personal bias. Take the recent example of Nurse William Melchert-Dinkle, who acknowledges his supposed fetish with suicide. Mr. Dinkle is so fetish-indulgent that he often frequented suicide chat rooms in an attempt to coach people on how to kill themselvesbegging if he could watch.

What Dinkle did clearly violates the norms of society, we are expected to talk people out of committing suicide. It definitely falls outside the bounds of manners, at least those defined by miss Manners. I expect there are some who would argue this as good manners, it makes more room for people who really want to live.

I personally think people have a right to kill themselves if they want, it is their life after all. This does not necessarily equate with me supporting what Dinkle is doing, but should it be illegal?

Interesting. While I don't believe what he is doing should be illegal, I do support cyber bullying laws. Kids who encourage their classmates to kill themselves should bear responsibility.Threat of jail time is often a good deterrent.
Would your OP fit into that category? I don't know. He certainly didn't give them the idea.

In California (and I assume a lot of other states) it is illegal to assist someone in the commission of suicide. That is not the same thing as encouraging them to do it without taking an active part in the actual event.

I am neither in favor of, nor opposed to, suicide. It is about as personal a decision as a person could ever make. I feel sorry for those who resort to it - sorry that they were not able to resolve whatever demons were tormenting them in some way short of killing themselves. Sometimes, I think it is unavoidable, as in the case of a terminal illness involving never-ending pain that cannot be dulled by drugs. In such a situation, it sickens me that our government has the audacity to say I could not end my own life if I chose to do so.

Apart from the terminal illness/constant pain situation, I know this: Suicide is a very permanent solution to an oftentimes temporary problem.

While I think teens commiting suicide is a problem that needs to be addressed, Ive always hated how that statistic is presented. Seriously, what else is a teen going to die from? Okay, car crashes and ,er, some rare cancer, an act of violence... Actually suicide rates increase with age. So, statistically, at 23 I am more likely to kill myself than I was at 16.

Ugh...there are chat rooms for people who are intrigued by suicide? I did not need to know that. The acts of the man sound criminal. Instructing people on anatomy so they can succeed at suicide (remember, the guy is a nurse). Pretending to join suicide pacts with them to encourage them to act to kill themselves. I'd be very surprised if this wasn't criminal conduct.

Ugh...there are chat rooms for people who are intrigued by suicide? I did not need to know that. The acts of the man sound criminal. Instructing people on anatomy so they can succeed at suicide (remember, the guy is a nurse). Pretending to join suicide pacts with them to encourage them to act to kill themselves. I'd be very surprised if this wasn't criminal conduct.

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I'd have to agree. This does not sound like a free speech issue IMO.

Whatever one's view may be, and there are legit/humanitarian reasons to seek your own death, suicide is a crime. This should be no different than aiding and abetting a bank robber. Some kind of charge of conspiracy or reckless indifference may or, at least should apply. (of course I'm no legal expert)

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